


Laugh in the Face of your Fears

by dreamiesficfest, dreamsol



Series: Dear Dream - Dreamies Fic Fest (Second Wave) [16]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Unvierse - College/University, Everland Resort, Fluff, M/M, amusement park date, how to laugh your fears away 101 by chensung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 16:38:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18595240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamiesficfest/pseuds/dreamiesficfest, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsol/pseuds/dreamsol
Summary: Prompt Number: #DD140His grandpa was always saying: “Chenle will go far in life, because our Chenle laughs in the face of his fears.”





	Laugh in the Face of your Fears

**Author's Note:**

> Notes from the Author:  
> hello! this fic features a real place in seoul: everland resort theme park! all the rides and places for most part are real. there is also the whole phobia/fears theme going on but it’s nothing serious and is showed in a light-hearted manner! just... don’t be like jaemin here, ok?  
> and of course, thanks to the prompter and to the admins! <3  
> english is not my first language, so there might be mistakes. i had fun writing it so i hope you’ll have fun reading it, too.  
> please, enjoy.

This, Chenle thinks faintly, trying to look _anywhere_ but down and failing, this is what his grandpa would call _an apogee_.

Because definitely, this is the highest point Chenle has ever been to, far away from the ground.

_Don’t scream, whatever you do, just don’t scream._

Somewhere down there, Jaemin probably takes Jeno for a ferris wheel ride, eats a giant pink cotton candy and walks leisurely around the park, all while holding hands and maybe even exchanging kisses in between.

The only thing Chenle is holding, and holding _tight_ , is a safety bar. The only thing he’s going to kiss, is his life goodbye.

At least Jisung’s face will be the last thing he’ll see before his soul will leave his body.

Jisung’s childishly delighted face. That blinding smile.

Not the worst way to go.

“Now!” Jisung yells, excited, as they reach the peak and are a second away from descent.

The cart thrums, and drops down the tracks.

His grandpa was always saying: “ _Chenle will go far in life, because our Chenle laughs in the face of his fears._ ”

And now, looking at the ground racing toward them at what feels like rocket speed, Chenle does exactly that.

He laughs.

 

**Three hours ago**

“I still can’t believe we’re doing this!” Chenle exclaims, “Are we really doing this?!”

“Lele, we’re already in the car, driving,” Jeno sighs not for the first time from the driver seat, flicking a brief glance at Chenle through a rearview mirror. Chenle can see a hint of a smile on Jeno’s lips though, so maybe his best friend isn’t actually as annoyed as he wants to appear. “Jaemin promised to take his cousin to Everland,” Jeno confirms for the hundredth time since Chenle got the news a week ago, “So this is where we’re going today.”

Yes! Finally!

“I’m so-o excited!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t forget that we still need to pick up Jaemin and Jisung first, though.”

“Ditch them!”

“Not happening, evil brat,” Jeno chuckles, “Besides, Jaemin paid for the tickets: we wouldn’t be able to get in even if we wanted to.”

Chenle snorts and looks out of the window with a smile still lingering. The weather is nice today: it’s sunny outside but not too hot; cool breeze. It’s perfect for long hilly walks around the amusement park, and Everland is supposed to be huge with many slopes to deal with. And it’s March; safe to say it won’t be as crowded as it usually is in peak summer season.

Chenle feels a bubbly laughter forming in the pit of his stomach and makes a high-pitched sound in the back of his throat, refusing to acknowledging it as a squeal even though it totally is. There’s just no way he can contain himself, not when the realization of it all happening for real is hitting him. He’s finally going to Everland Resort! If he could take that thought out of his head like in _Harry Potter_ , it would have glow up like a neon sign.

Thankfully, Jeno stoically tolerates Chenle’s freak-out session in the back seat the entire ride to Jaemin’s house, just like a best friend should. Patience is one of Jeno’s greatest virtues: that’s how he puts up with Jaemin as his boyfriend, after all.

Chenle has only ever been to Everland once, when he was twelve or thirteen, and was dying to go there again since then. Chenle is eighteen now. He could say he didn’t have time with all the studying he had to do, but that wouldn’t be entirely true: Chenle is attending an arts high school. Which is just as exhausting, but not as time-consuming.

The problem was this: he was trying to drag Jeno to Everland with him for ages, but Jeno was also dating Jaemin for ages, - ever since dinosaurs have gone extinct it felt like sometimes, - and being a third-wheel definitely wasn’t something Chenle wanted for himself.

But now that Jaemin’s cousin is in town and even expressed the wish to go to Everland Resort himself, at least Chenle will have someone to gag at the couple with.

“Aren’t you going to ask about Jaemin’s cousin?” Jeno asks carefully after a while, approximately ten minutes before they reach Jaemin’s house. He gives Chenle a quick look in the mirror again. “The last time you guys saw each other was when you were what, twelve?”

Oh, right. Chenle almost forgot that the sole reason they’re visiting Everland Resort is not because _Chenle_ wants to; it’s because Jaemin’s cousin, Jisung, does.

“Ten,” corrects him Chenle, “At least I think I was ten back then?”

The memory of Jisung in his mind is pretty hazy, to the point that if they happened to meet on the streets, for example, Chenle probably wouldn’t recognize him. They were little kids that one time Jisung came to visit his older cousin. Jaemin and Jeno mentioned him in conversations many times, though.

Chenle frowns, trying to make himself remember at least something.

“He’s a year younger than me, right?” he asks, unsure.

“Yeah, but only by like, 3 months,” Jeno answers, chuckling, “He’s a February kid. Born in 2002.”

It’s not surprising Jeno knows so much: after all, he’s the one to always drive Jaemin for a visit to out-of-town relatives on holidays and often even stays over at their place, too. It’s basically a holiday trip for the both of them, at this point: they drive there together, they come back together. Chenle imagines Jeno got pretty close with Jisung during those visits, now that he is basically part of the family.

“Jaemin has some photos of Jisung on his insta, in case you’re curious how he looks like now.”

“Why? I’ll see him in flesh soon enough.”

“OK. Suit yourself.”

Chenle scowls. Jisung this, Jisung that. He’s kind of getting tired of it.

“Isn’t it kind of unfair that Jisung gets everything he wants immediately while I have to beg you for hours and days to do something together?”

“What can I say,” Jeno shrugs, and it’s obvious he doesn’t have even a single iota of guilt i himself. “He’s kind of cute.” It didn’t escape from Chenle that his best friend cringed right after saying it, even though Jeno schooled his expression back right away, “He asked to go, so here we are.”

Chenle squints his eyes at him, suspicious. “Or maybe it’s Jaemin who’s been extra cute while asking you to go?”

Jeno mokes a silent gasp. “Now that I think about it, _definitely_ that!”

“You’re the worst best friend ever!” Chenle cries out, laughing. He feels the uneasiness leaving him, just like that.

“Absolutely,” Jeno agrees, “But that means I’m the best _boyfriend_ ever.” And then adds, tone light: “Maybe it’s time to think about getting one for yourself, by the way. Boyfriend, I mean.”

Chenle blinks at him. “”Why suddenly-” But he doesn’t manage to finish his sentence as the car suddenly comes to a full stop.

“We’re here!” Jeno shouts cheerfully and honks the horn multiple times, signalling their arrival. “Get out of the car and say hi.”

Chenle rolls his eyes. “Yes, _hyung_.”

They wait outside for several minutes, which is much longer than it usually takes for Jaemin to slam the front door of his house and run into Jeno’s arms with a “My lovely acorn boy!” shriek and then proceed to chase Chenle around the car, determined to pinch his cheeks.

When Jaemin finally appears at the door, he’s not alone, and Chenle shouldn’t be surprised, yet he can’t help but gape at the boy Jaemin is pulling with gentle persistence towards the car.

Logically, Chenle knew Jisung is a teenager by now, just like he is. But it seems like some part of him still didn’t accept it. It’s silly, but he really was waiting to see a ten year old boy, quiet but bossy.

Not this tall and lanky handsome boy, who flashes him a shy grin once Jaemin successfully drags him to where he and Jeno are standing:

“Hi, Chenle.”

“Um. Hi!” Chenle squeaks and turns right away to get back in the car as fast as possible to do some breathing exercising.

Only to realize the second he’s inside that Jisung is going to sit in the back with him, mere centimeters away, all the way to Everland.

Okay, stop panicking, he says to himself, it’s just a boy. Just a boy. Just a boy who you’re going to have fun with at amusement park. Not a big deal.

Who’s he kidding, it’s kind of a big deal: Jaemin and Jeno will probably ditch them the second they arrive at the park, and Jisung was so reluctant to get out of the house and meet them that Jaemin literally had to drag him outside.

Panicking it is, then.

 

The ride with all four of them in the car is awkward.

Jaemin, picking up on the atmosphere, is trying hard to pretend Chenle and Jisung on the backseat are not strangely tense and quiet. He’s bopping his head to the music Jeno put on and talks loudly over it.

Chenle shoots a quick side-glance at Jisung. He was kind of hoping the other boy is going to pull out airpods, bury his face into his phone and ignore the rest of them. But that’s not what happens: Jisung hums to the music blaring, mouthing the lyrics. Chenle himself is uncharastically tongue-tied and probably looks like an asshole who doesn’t even try to engage in conversation, when in reality he just tries to come in terms with his stupid infatuation that keeps growing each passing second.

Unaware of his inner turmoil, Jisung is squinting a little as the sun is shining right into his eyes, and smiles every time a new song he knows is coming up.

Staring at his long fingers drumming to the rhythm, Chenle suddenly sees a memory flashing before his eyes and just like that, he knows exactly what to do.

“Hey,” Chenle calls, and Jisung turns to him, curiosity all over his face. “Look. Fingerman!”

Chenle folds fingers on his right hand so only two would stick out and runs them over his own laps, imitating a walking person. He makes ‘the fingerman’ jump from his lap to Jisung’s, and starts moving his fingers fast to the beat of the music playing.

It’s not long before Jisung’s ‘fingerman’ joins him.

Chenle giggles. He’s relieved Jisung remembers, too, how they played this silly game many years back just like this, in the backseat of a car. He feels like they’re okay now.

To hell with this infatuation, Chenle decides right then, when Jisung lifts his head and grins at him shyly. He wants Jisung to have a good time and look back at this day with light heart when he comes back home, to his own town.

Chenle can deal with it. No problem.

 

Turns out, it’s a big problem.

“Are you an idiot?” Chenle laughs, “Who bites on their ice-cream?”

Finding an ice-cream vendor was the first thing on their ‘to do list’ after entering the theme park.

“Jaemin-hyung does,” Jisung mumbles in response, still holding a hand in front of his mouth and suffering through brain freeze.

Jeno shakes his head. “Never copy after Jaemin unless you have a death wish, I told you.” Jaemin silently but painfully, judging by the yelp Jeno lets out, pinches his boyfriend in the arm.

Jisung winces a little and as much as Chenle feels sorry for him, he also thinks Jisung looks absolutely adorable.

Jeez, Chenle thinks bitterly. This whole ‘ _conceal, don’t feel_ ’ agenda is hard. He barely holds himself back from cooing.

Another shiver goes through Jisung, and his vanilla ice-cream scoop falls off the cone, hitting the ground with a squelch. The four of them stare down silently at the miserable puddle starting to form under their feet, before Jaemin sighs and pulls Jeno with him to go buy another vanilla scoop.

“Poop hands!” Chenle teases, smirking, when they’re left alone.

Jisung sticks his tongue out at him. He shoves Chenle a little to the side and looks crestfallen when his plan fails and Chenle’s ice-cream is still on the cone.

To Chenle’s surprise, Jaemin and Jeno don’t ditch them the moment they finish their ice-cream. They’re even being only mildly disgusting with each other, which is a remarkable achievement in Chenle’s book.

He glances at Jisung, curious how the younger reacts to the couple holding hands and whispering to each other, and blushes realizing that Jisung wasn’t looking at Jaemin and Jeno, but right at him this whole time.

Jisung merely grins, not looking embarrassing at all for getting caught staring.

“Do you know already where you want to go first?” Jisung asks.

 

“What the hell happened to his voice?” Chenle rage-whispers to Jeno later, holding his friend by the elbow so they would walk side by side, trailing behind Jaemin and Jisung who are bickering over where they should go. “Last time I saw him he sounded like a chipmunk!”

He doesn’t really understand why he finds Jisung’s velvety smooth voice so offensive, but he does, very much so.

Jeno quirks an eyebrow at him. “Boys are going through this thing called ‘voice break’, I’m sure you heard of it. Seriously though, what’s your problem?”

“Help me make it stop,” he demands.

Jeno sighs. “Make _what_ stop, Lele.”

“The stupid butterflies in my stomach!” Chenle hisses. “I don’t want to harbor a crush on a guy who’s going to disappear in few days and then mope around for another seven years or so until we meet each other by chance again!”

“Welp. Jaemin is so not gonna like this,” Jeno mutters under his breath.

“What?”

“I said, Jaemin is taking forever to decide, let’s help them a little.” He starts to walk faster.

“Jeno!”

“Just enjoy your day, Lele!” Jeno says, looking back through his shoulder, “It’s gonna be just fine.”

Well, if that wasn’t the most useless advice he has ever heard.

“I want to go to _Panda World_ first!” Chenle shouts, feeling helpless. “And I want a panda bear plushie! Big panda plushie!”

“That’s where we’re going, then!” he hears someone shout back.

It’s Jisung, of course.

 

Most people are coming to amusement parks mostly to ride fast wooden rollercoasters or spend a day with their little kids or have a nice date because amusement parks at night have their own special atmosphere.

Chenle didn’t want to visit just some amusement park. He wanted to come to Everland Resort specifically, and here’s why: it’s the only place you can see a panda bear in Korea. Even two of them.

The _Panda World_ zone in the theme park is huge and full of so many things you could do beside cooing at two giant panda bears lazing around. So after Chenle makes enough photos and selfies for his phone to start warning him about very little space left, he goes on his second search, and specifically the stuffed panda bear hunt.

Chenle lurks around all the shops, searching for _that one_ plushie his heart will swell at the sight of, Jisung at his tail. But they’re all the same and while they’re all quite lovely, Chenle doesn’t really get the _this is it_ striking him.

In the end he shuffles to one of the shop kiosks to buy just any panda bear, his mood sour, when Jisung tugs at his shirt.

“Hey, I could win one for you instead!” and he points at the dart place nearby. “The one you get from there is even bigger and cuter.”

Chenle thinks back to all the times Jisung dropped his ice-cream and tripped on air. “Um, I think I like this one well enough already! Thanks, though.”

“But you haven’t even seen it yet! Follow me.”

Jisung was right: the one at the dart place where you have to pop a certain amount of balloons within certain time is _way_ cuter. It’s big, doopy-eyed, and looks so huggable Chenle can’t wait to borrow his face into its fuzzy fur and squeeze it to his chest.

It’s love at first sight. And if Jisung won’t actually get it for him, he will cry right there from crushing disappointment.

To his utter surprise, Jisung wins him the bear, popping one balloon after another with such easiness and skill, not even one wrong or unnecessary move, all precision, that it’s hard to imagine it’s the same guy who yelped while tripping on the platform to ride the chair lifts just an hour ago.

“Oh my god!” Chenle squeals, jumping in place, when Jisung hands him the prize with proud grin on his face. “Are you sure I can have it? Can I have it? Really?”

No doubt about it.

Chenle is most definitely in love.

 

 

“Do you like rollercoasters?” Jisung asks, smiling broadly when the four of them are exploring the _American Adventure_ zone of the park and, o _h no_. “We’re near the _Rolling X Train_! It says here,” and he points at the guide map in his hands, “That it features a 360 degrees rotation loop! Two, even! Doesn’t it sound amazing?”

His eyes are gleaming with such excitement, that whatever was about to come out of Chenle’s mouth, he stuffs it back in.

“Absolutely amazing,” Chenle hears himself say, holding his bear close. “Love rollercoasters.”

And this brings us back to where it all started: with Chenle laughing while the cart is flying into the loops Jisung was so excited about.

Truth be told, Chenle can’t remember anything from that experience once it’s over. It was crazy fast and ended in the blink of an eye, literally: he probably blanked out for a while there. And now his legs feel like jelly and he need a moment to collect himself before even thinking of getting out of the cart, still holding on the safety bar like his life depends on it.

Jisung doesn’t have this problem.

“You need help?” and without further ado he grabs Chenle’s hand. Chenle yelps as he’s getting yanked easily out of the cart, and forgets to breathe entirely when he falls right into Jisung arms thanks to his still wobbly legs. “Woah! You okay?”

“Yeah,” Chenle nods dumbly, clutching at Jisung’s shirt. He has to look up to see Jisung’s face smiling at him and now Chenle suspects his knees has given out thanks for entirely another reason this time. Why is Jisung so _tall_ , it’s frustrating and messing with Chenle’s heart. “I’m okay! Thanks. You can let go now.”

Jisung grins, and it’s a shy, sheepish one again. “I like the way you laugh. It’s pretty.”

Chenle flushes. No one really called his laugh ‘pretty’ before.

“And I’m glad you had fun,” Jisung adds, “That was awesome.”

Chenle suppresses a nervous chuckle. “Totally awesome. Yeah.” He looks around and observes with a sigh: “Jaemin and Jeno ditched us. I knew it. Oh no, and they have my bear with them, too! They snatched it from me! They hold it hostage!”

“Didn’t you ask Jeno to hold it so _‘it won’t get traumatized_ ’ yourself?”

Chenle scoffs. “Irrelevant!”

“...Wanna go find them?” Jisung suggests, scanning the crowd above Chenle’s head. ( _Jesus_ , how is he so tall.) “I think hyung was saying something about wanting to watch the parade.”

It might be wishful thinking, but it seems to Chenle that Jisung actually prefers it better when it’s just the two of them.

Chenle flushes and turns to the exit. “Nah. Let’s go see what else they have here.”

 

He really shouldn’t have asked Jisung what else they have here.

This zone is full of crazy rides with passengers’ screeches being a never-ending background noise, and Jisung wants to experience what it’s like to be on _every single one of them_.

The part Chenle feels most conflicted about is probably that coaster operators clapping their hands every time the cart slows down as the ride comes to end, all like ‘ _congratulations, you survived!’_ Was he _supposed_ to die out there?

After the _Let’s Twist_ ride thanks to which Chenle forgot his own name for split second, Jisung shoots him a concerned glance. “You okay? You look a little pale.”

No, he’s not okay. But Jisung clearly had fun.

“Yeah!” Chenle says instead, “I feel absolutely great! What else they have? I’m ready, that last thing we were on did nothing for me.”

The answer doesn’t come right away, and then he hears a chuckle. It sounds nervous. “I have an idea what we should tackle next. Give me your hand and close your eyes. It’s a surprise.”

“...Is it gonna be worse - I mean, better!.. - than all the coasters we’ve ridden already?..” Chenle asks after a while, holding tight on Jisung’s hand and making a step after a step with eyes diligently closed.

Because if so, he’s got a pretty good idea where they’re heading to now. There’s only one rollercoaster they haven’t tackled yet: _T Express_. And it’s the fastest one. The tallest one. The most scary one.

Except _T Express_ is on the other side of the park and he can’t imagine walking for so long blind.

“Um,” he hears Jisung answer, “Probably better for you? For me... We’ll see. Just a little more.”

When Jisung tells him they reached their destination and can stop now, he doesn’t say it’s okay for Chenle to open his eyes. Chenle can hear kids screaming and running around them, and it confuses him even more than Jisung’s odd request.

After several seconds, Chenle feels Jisung squeezing his hand a little tighter, take a deep breath and finally say:

“You can open your eyes now.”

Chenle had to screw up his eyes so he wouldn’t give up to temptation so easily, and now has to blink several times to adjust to the light again and what are they’re standing in front of. He was right about kids running around, and there’s a reason for it. Chenle takes it all in and asks, just to make sure:

“...Are we going on this, uh,” Chenle quickly reads the sign description, “ _Flying elephant_ ride?..”

He watches as someone takes their child into arms and sits on one of the colourful cars with cartoon-ish, smiley elephants, their trunks held high.

“Yep.” Jisung laughs a little, and adds as if in lieu of explanation: “I, um. I’m scared of elephants, you know.”

Chenle stares at him for a moment. “What? Wait… _Elephants_?”

“I know, right. Crazy drops, twists and loops? Ha! Easy. But show me a picture of _Dumbo_ and I’m a mess.”

“Why _elephants_?”

“I don’t know?” Jisung shrugs helplessly, awkwardly shuffling his feet. He looks at the ground and not at Chenle. “Maybe because they’re so big? It’s just, my father took me to the zoo once when I was four and I started crying the moment I saw one. Nothing happened, no childhood trauma! They simply terrify me. Irrational fear, or something. I know they don’t want to hurt me. Well. They probably don’t. And these elephants right here are not even real but I’d really rather not board this… thing.”

Chenle grins, squeezing his hand tighter. “But we’re still going to, huh?”

“ _Hell yeah_ we are.”

 

“You alright?” Chenle asks when they sit themselves down in the car with sky-blue coloured elephant.

It’s a very tight fit inside, so their sides are kind of squished together, and Jisung’s long legs are sticking out awkwardly. He’s holding tight onto the safety bar with one hand and onto Chenle’s hand - with the other. Chenle thinks he is doing his best trying not to look around because otherwise he’ll only see giant elephant heads flying everywhere, so he opts to look at Chenle and their joined hands instead.

He seems a little bit tense and that’s about it, but Chenle wants to make sure again.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Jisung nods. “I figured we should do something like this, since you were riding rollercoasters with me despite hating every second of it. Sorry for not realizing it sooner, by the way.”

So this is what it’s all about?

Chenle shakes his head. “You really didn’t have to do this for me. What if you’ll have a panic attack or something?”

“Don’t worry,” Jisung snorts, “This is _nothing_ compared to Jaemin-hyung showing up on my birthday party when I was seven dressed up in a rainbow elephant costume. I still have no idea where he got it.”

“Oh my god, he’s insane.”

“Eh,” Jisung shrugs dismissively. “He’s getting better.”

Chenle giggles, relieved to see Jisung gradually getting more and more relaxed as they ride on their sly-blue elephant. Jisung tells him of every ridiculous elephant-themed gag gift Jaemin has ever got for him, from plushies to hoodies, and there’s no bitterness in his voice. Just amusement.

Listening to him, Chenle thinks that maybe Jaemin knew what he’s doing, after all, and laughing in the face of your fears really does help.

 

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU TALKED ME INTO THIS!”

Fifteen minutes later Chenle finds himself on _T Express_ rollercoaster, their cart climbing up slowly straight up into the sky. The highest and the fastest rollercoaster in South Korea, the pipe dream of an adrenaline junkie, and somehow he’s on it. That one coaster Chenle swore to himself he’s never going to ride.

He clenches the bar around his shoulder with pounding heart, feeling familiar hysterical laughter starting to babble up inside him, ready to break out.

“You can hold onto my hand!” he hears Jisung laughing beside him, and Chenle can’t turn his head to look him in the face to see his smile because he’s too terrified of leaving his eyes from the peak point ahead and how closer and closer it gets every second. But he can see Jisung’s hand hanging in the air somewhere in the corner of his vision for Chenle to grab.

“ARE YOU CRAZY! GET YOUR HAND AWAY AND HOLD TIGHT!”

He can’t believe how Jisung appears to be absolutely fine.

“You sure you don’t want to hold onto my hand? OK! But promise to hold hands with me after!”

The cart is clanking so _loudly_.

“DON’T FLIRT WHEN WE’RE ON A DEATH RIDE!” But laughter is the only response he gets.

They’re so close to the top, it’s mere seconds before the descent, and people that are in the cart with them are all holding in their breath in anticipation, Chenle included. If the terror Chenle can feel in his guts didn’t already leave him breathless, the view as they reach the peak and then halt for a second or two, would. He can see the tips of tall trees around and colorful towers representing famous world landmarks in the distance at the _Global fare_ zone, like the _Saint Basil’s Cathedral_ and the _Leaning Tower of Pisa_.

But apparently Jisung didn’t get the memo, as he starts clapping his hands in glee and makes random noises. He’s being all excited by himself and doesn’t look embarrassed about it, and the last thought entering Chenle’s mind before they fall into abyss is how cool Jisung is, in his own way.

The drop happens too soon and too late at the same time: Chenle couldn’t decide if he wanted to prolong it or just get it over with already. Nonetheless, now that Chenle doesn’t have to mask how scared out of his mind he is, he opens his mouth and screams at the top of his lungs when they finally plunge, _fast_.

And unexpectedly, it feels good, like terror is seeping out of him with the scream he lets out as they’re racing toward the ground at the rapid speed of sixty miles an hour.

“Feels exactly like when I first saw you today after so many years!” Jisung yells as the cart pulls out. “Stomach flips and all that!”

“WHICH PART OF ‘DON’T FLIRT WHEN WE’RE ON A DEATH RIDE’ YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND?’

“I can’t help it!” Chenle can hear a smile in Jisung’s voice as he yells it out. “Adrenaline makes me brave! Be my boyfriend!”

“WHAT?”

The rollercoaster road takes its infamous seventy-seven degrees angle loop, causing the entire car erupt in a chorus of terrified screams.

“I said, be my boyfriend!” Jisung yells louder into his ear.

“OH MY GOD, I HEARD YOU PERFECTLY FINE! I MEAN, WHAT?!”

“Let’s date!”

They near another slope at crazy speed and the car is rattling.

“IS THIS YOUR ATTEMPT AT TRYING TO CALM ME DOWN OR SOMETHING?!” Chenle shrieks, and he’s not exactly sure why: Jisung being stupid, or is it because the cart now is going through curves and loops so fast he can’t figure out where is left and where is right anymore. “BECAUSE IT! DOESN’T! WORK!”

It’s a miracle Chenle can talk at all: the wind is whipping against his face, making him gasp out every word he’s saying, but the weird determination makes him keep going.

“I’m staying!”

“HUH?”

“I got a scholarship here! I moved into the dorms yesterday! I’m staying here! In Seoul!”

This makes Chenle actually whip his head to the right at the boy, but only for a fraction of a second: not knowing where the track is taking them is too scary after all. But he did manage to catch the glimpse of Jisung, his radiant grin and the way sunshine plays in his hair.

“YOU STILL DIDN’T SAY THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT!” he yells out.

“The most important-“ Jisung pauses, then laughs, breathless: “You mean the ’I like you’ bit???”

Chenle shrieks. This time it’s _definitely_ because Jisung is being stupid.

“WHY CAN’T YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL WE’RE ON SAFE GROUND, OH MY GOD!”

“I like you! I thought that much is obvious!”

“STOP!”

“I like you a lot! So go out with me!”

“JISUNG! SHUT UP! JUST! JUST SHUT UP FOR A WHILE!”

“I like you, Chenle!”

“SHUT! UP!”

 

“You’re so _mean_ when you’re scared and can’t just laugh it off!” Jisung laughs, helping Chenle onto the platform when it’s finally over. “I was confessing, you know!”

“Not the best timing!” Chenle wheezes, still feeling light-headed. He clutches onto Jisung’s arms, knees weak, but still trembling with adrenaline. “You’re so tall!” he splutters.

Jisung snorts. “Yeah! So what?”

“Why the hell you’re so tall?!” Chenle rages, “It pisses me off! And your voice, it pisses me off, too! And… and…” he feels himself deflating like air balloon, “Are you really staying here?..”

Jisung’s voice gets impossibly soft, and he hates that, too, almost as much as the way his eyes shine looking at him. “Yeah. We can see each other whenever we want now.”

“Oh,” Chenle mumbles, looking at his feet, “Cool.”

“...Say, are you scared of rollercoasters because you have problems with heights?” Chenle shakes his head. “You just have problems with drops?” Chenle nods. “Then I have one more place in mind I think we should check out.”

 

“Smooth.”

“Glad I got your approval,” Jisung snorts, looking down below.

It got considerably dark, so Everland went into nighttime mode: some of the rides and other attractions are lit up already, glowing brightly, the trees and the paths, too.

It looks even more beautiful from up here, while on ferris wheel cart. Very romantic, too.

“Fingerman!” Jisung sticks his two fingers out and runs them over to where Chenle’s hand is on the seat, covering it with his own.

“O-oh, _very_ smooth,”Chenle nods, looking at their intertwined now fingers.

“I’m surprised you remember it,” Jisung muses.

Chenle fidgets on the edge of his seat. He sighs. “I didn’t, actually. Until I saw you jamming to songs in the car. I’m sorry I don’t remember much about that time.”

“It’s okay. Because I remember it all.”

Chenle’s eyes trail slowly from their hands up to Jisung’s veiny arms then up to his face.

“I remember Jaemin-hyung introducing us and us playing silly childish games in the backseat with my uncle taking us to see _Han River_ and how you were talking about wanting to go see panda bears at some theme park… This Everland trip was supposed to be a double-date, you know?”

Jisung giggles at the way Chenle stares at him, mouth agape.

“Jaemin-hyung’s idea. He had this masterplan... I suggested to celebrate my scholarship here by going to Everland with all of us together and then he decided it’s a perfect opportunity to play matchmaker.” Jisung shakes his head at the thought, “I almost didn’t want to leave the house the moment I realized that’s what he was going for. Because I just thought... It would be nice to at least become friends with you now that I’m actually going to stay. See the panda bears you were gushing about and just. Get to know each other. That’s really all I wanted… But. I heard there’s a lot about me you just can’t stand.”

Chenle catches the mischievous glint in Jisung’s eyes and the way his voice purposely gets lower. He elbows him into the side, laughing. “I _really_ can’t stand you! You’re infuriating! I’m googling ‘Dumbo’ pics as we speak!”

“I’m actually more scared of _you_ than some sad potato with huge-ass ears, at the moment,” Jisung says with a lopsided grin. “And of whatever you’re gonna say.”

“I’m not scary, though.”

“You really are.”

“Look at me,” Chenle shuffles closer so their sides are pressed together, just like how was back on the sky-blue elephant ride. “Am I really that scary?..”

“Yep. Positively terrifying.”

Chenle leans in, tilting his head. “And now?”

“Dunno,” Jisung says, leaning in, too. “I need some further examination.”

The kiss tastes like sweet caramel popcorn and vanilla ice-cream, and inside Chenle it’s like fireworks are setting off constantly: everything is spiraling swiftly until it’s all bursting into this bright, dazzling flower, one after another.

 

“Where have you been, you little rascals!” Jaemin screeches running up to them and tackle them both in the most aggressive reunion hug Chenle has ever been on a receiving side of, once they come down from the ferris wheel. “Why didn’t you pick up sooner, I called so many times!”

Turns out Jaemin and Jeno were searching for them for a while now.

“You’re lucky I didn’t let him make a ‘children missing’ announcement,” Jeno chuckles and readily lets go of the bear plushie when Chenle makes a grab for it. “You guys are ready to go home?”

“Ready!” Chenle calls cheerfully, happy he’s reunited with his stuffed bear and is now pulling Jisung by his hand towards the exit.

He pretends as if he doesn’t notice Jaemin’s eyes almost bulging of their sockets and especially his high-pitched scream that is half-rage, half-joy.

 

The next day Jisung will give Chenle a tour of his dorms and campus.

They’ll go to watch the ‘Dumbo’ movie on their first date and will almost get themselves kicked out because of how loud they will be, giggling uncontrollably the entire time the movie is playing.

A month later they will return to Everland and go on every single ride Chenle once found terrifying.

But Chenle won’t be scared anymore. He will know his solution.

He will laugh.

 


End file.
